Bill Gates is seen during women's table tennis singles third round match, at London 2012 Olympic Games in London, Britain, on July 29, 2012. Li Xiaoxia of China defeated Ariel Hsing of U.S. 4-2. [Xinhua]

U.S. billionaire Bill Gates came to watch a game of his family friend, U.S. teen player Ariel Hsing, at the ExCel Center as the girl is playing against No. 2 seeded Chinese Li Xiaoxia.

Gates, wearing an orange jacket and dark blue baseball cap, sat in the front row of the spectators' stand and applauded for every point Hsing scored.

"I'm wishing her the best of luck, but she has really great opponent. She's done really well to get this far," Gates said.

Hsing, world's No. 115, is in her third match at London 2012. She had already beaten Mexico's Yadira Silva and Luxembourg's Ni Xia Lian.

Hsing is known in the U.S. as a buddy with billionaires Warren Buffett and Gates, close enough to call them "Uncle Warren" and "Uncle Bill."

Buffett met Hsing when she was only 9 and two years later invited her to play against shareholders at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting. She has returned several times, including earlier this year after winning a spot on the U.S. team and took a few points off Buffett and Gates.

When asked whether Gates has won a point off Hsing, Gates said: "Not legitimately. She beat me when she was nine, easily. She has been nice to me in social situations."

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